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Gay San Diego

Gay San Diego

Emergency measures in the wake of Covid-19:

Governor Gavin Newsom has announced an order to shelter-in-place order for the entire state of California, to go into force on the evening of March 19th. The state’s nearly 40 million residents are required to remain indoors and limit outdoor movement to what is “absolutely essential”.

San Diego's reputation is that of a conservative military town. In recent years that has changed significantly. The city now has a large and rapidly growing gay population that thrives in a live-and-let-live atmosphere.
The gay community in San Diego is ethnically diverse and includes many military and retired military people. The crowd skews slightly younger than other California gay strongholds such as San Francisco, Palm Springs and Laguna.
The biggest draw in San Diego isn't the large gay community or the city's laid-back attitude, though. It's the area's natural beauty. With over 300 days of sunshine each year, the weather is nearly perfect no matter when you visit. The city's 70 miles of coastline provide both breathtaking scenery and spectacular beaches -- including gay-friendly, clothing-optional Black's Beach. San Diego also offers great dining, fantastic shopping, top-tier cultural attractions and terrific nightlife.

Getting Here
Business travelers surveyed by Conde Nast have rated San Diego International Airport as one of their favorite airports. The airport is serviced by 14 airlines with direct flights to hundreds of cities worldwide. Eight different shuttle services offer transportation from the airport to your destination in town, or you can take a cab.

The Amtrak Santa Fe Depot train station downtown can be reached on the SDMTS, route 992, departing every 15 minutes 5am-11:30pm on weekdays, and every 30 minutes on weekends and holidays.

The Pacific Surfliner is Amtrak's train service from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, by way of Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, with twelve daily round-trips between San Diego and Los Angeles. There are two stations in San Diego: Old Town, 4005 Taylor Street; and the downtown Station Building at 1050 Kettner Boulevard. Most trains have bicycle and surfboard racks allowing you to bring your bike onboard, unboxed as carry-on baggage.

Getting Around
San Diego's attractions are spread out, and you don't want to rely on public transportation. If you plan to sightsee, rent a car. If planning to spend most of your time in or near the gay-friendly Hillcrest neighborhood, you can probably get away with cabs. Gay nightlife is not concentrated in a small area, so if you're planning to bar-hop you should either designate a driver or take a taxi.

For local public transportation, including the trolly lines, see SDMTS. For North County Transit regional rail and bus info see GoNCTD. The Coaster commuter train serves eight stations between Oceanside and downtown San Diego, a scenic trip of about one hour. Six of the Amtrak Surfliner trains also make stops at these stations each day.

Neighborhoods
Nearly all of San Diego's 100 neighborhoods are at least gay-friendly, though Hillcrest and Hillcrest-adjacent neighborhoods have the highest concentration of gay residents and gay nightlife.

Hillcrest: Hillcrest is the traditional center of gay life in San Diego. The area is home to the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center and gay events and activities throughout the year, including the annual Pride celebrations in July. Located next to Balboa Park, the nation's largest urban cultural park, Hillcrest offers gay and gay-friendly accommodations, restaurants, shopping, culture, cruising and lots and lots of nightlife.

North Park: Just east of Hillcrest, North Park is a charming, eclectic neighborhood with a mix of coffeehouses, cafes and shopping. The neighborhood is home to San Diego's Lyric Opera and "Ray at Night," a monthly art walk that takes place on the second Saturday of each month. North Park also has several gay bars and clubs.

University Heights: Just north of Hillcrest, University Heights is a mostly residential area with a large gay population. The wood-frame bungalows date back to the first half of the 20th century. The commercial section runs along Park Boulevard, with a trendy mix of restaurants and shops as well as the nation's third-oldest LGBT performance space, Diversionary Theatre.

Downtown San Diego: More gay-friendly than gay, downtown San Diego is home to the historic Gaslamp Quarter, the revitalized East Village and Little Italy. There are tons of hotels and restaurants in the area, and plenty of shopping.

For great photos of gay San Diego nightlife see Sdpix.com with their monthly print magazine and online photos of clubs and events around town. They also have a good and fully updated daily calendar of ongoing club nights and events.

For a city map and website links to businesses, museums, and entertainment venues, see our gay San Diego listings pages. For some photos from around town, see our gallery pages. We also list some upcoming local events and activities.

Gay and Lesbian Times, San Diego's gay newspaper of 23 years, ceased publication September 2010, and their archive site was lost when the host company went out of business without notice. See info at their facebook page, and find back issues at the Lambda Archives.

The San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center is located at 3909 Centre Street in the Hillcrest neighborhood. The center offers a wide variety of services to the gay community, and stopping in for a quick visit is a great way to familiarize yourself with what the city has to offer.

The San Diego Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, "dedicated to the promulgation of universal joy and the expiation of stigmatic guilt," host and help with various events and fundraisers around town.

Bears San Diego, a club for bears and bear fanciers, established in 1994, brings together men of like minds for social events at local bars, den nights at members' homes, and takes group outings to movies, restaurants, the zoo and to parties at other Bear Clubs.

California was one of four states to legalize recreational marijuana in 2016. Residents may now possess up to 28.5 grams of marijuana flower and up to 8 grams of concentrates; also grow up to six plants per residence. Regulations on dispensing recreational cannabis are expected to mimic states like Colorado and Washington. See Potguide/California for details on where and how to buy.

Number One Fifth Ave (3845 Fifth), "at home" atmosphere where you'll soon be chatting to the locals while enjoying their large selection of beers and cocktails. For more elbow room, they have a sheltered open-air back patio.

Top Of The Bay, Fridays at The Glass Door (1835 Columbia St), continuing in the slot of the old TOP of many years at Park Manor Suites, the 7-10pm LGBT cocktail happy hour weekend kick-off on the 5th floor of the Porto Vista Hotel.

Baja Betty's (1421 University), south-of-the-border restaurant and cabaret showbar from the people at Urban Joes in Hillcrest.

Cafe on Park (3831 Park), many brunch variations of eggs benedict and omelets, some of the best potatoes anywhere, big portions, plus Bloody Marys with good kick. They also serve lunch and dinner if you still have room later.

In focus:
Creating a theatrical diversion
One of the country's oldest gay and lesbian theater companies, the Diversionary Theatre produces edgy dramas, goofy comedies and playful musicals with gay themes. If you live in a town lacking in gay culture, you'll definitely want to catch one of their cutting-edge shows.
The company was founded in 1986 with a production of a show about the AIDS crisis called Artists Involved in Death and Survival. In the early '90s the theater began producing short seasons of shows, and those seasons were expanded to include year-round offerings.

Diversionary was one of the first theaters centered specifically on the gay, lesbian and transgender community. Executive and artistic director Dan Kirsch, who led the company for more than six years, said the six major productions presented each year kept the company busy.
"We also commissioned Dear Harvey, about Harvey Milk, in honor of the 30th anniversary of his passing," said Kirsch. "We commissioned a playwright to interview people who knew him, and we were able to tell stories that had never been heard before, even though the film Milk had just come out. That's about his life, and these were very personal stories from his colleagues and friends." After Dear Harvey premiered, it has had subsequent productions in Sacramento and Los Angeles. As interesting as Diversionary Theatre's special events are, the real attractions are the main stage productions.
Diversionary Theatre is located at 4545 Park Boulevard in the University Heights neighborhood. For more information call 619-220-0097.

Tijuana, Mexico

No need to drive from San Diego, Americans can park on their side, then walk across the border for a wild and all-night Mexican party. Once on the other side taxis are easy to find, and inexpensive for getting around town. But agree on the price upfront and travel with companions when possible. The lower drinking age, and a greater tolerance south of the border for pleasures of the flesh, long ago made Tijuana a magnet for those to the north. Young military men in particular, but other Americans of all ages and orientations have been coming in droves, at least since the days of the American Prohibition Era.

Check our Tijuana feature with map and listings of the city just south of the border.